Car dumping apparatus



Feb. 14, 1956 H. R. STRAIGHT CAR DUMPING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 8, 1952 WW6; hm mi.. :1 NM

United States Patent CAR- DUMPING APPARATUS Halver R. Straight, Adel, Iowa, assignor to Straight Engineering Co., Adel, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Application December 8, 1952, Serial No. 324,618

2 Claims. (Cl. 214-47) This invention relates to improvements in car dumping apparatus of the type employing a pivoted car supporting.

bridge for tilting. a car supported thereon in its longitudinal plane by means of telescoping hydraulic cylinders and pistons, the bridge being provided with mechanism for elevating one of the car supporting rails to tilt the car laterally in a transverse plane,. for. the purpose of emptying the contents of the car through one 'of its side doors.

The present invention relates more particularly to the mechanism for connecting the lower ends of the cylinders to the ground support and the upper ends of the pistons to the bridge. a

In the actual operation of a car dump ofthe type. above described, it is found that a certain amount of twist is developed. in the free ends of the pivoted bridge when the bridge is tilted laterally due to the fact that most of the weight of the load is carried by the lower rail thereby tending to cause the telescoping cylinders and pistons to jackknife, thereby applying undesired friction between the sliding portions of the hydraulic lifts.

It is therefore one of the objects of my invention to provide improved means for connecting the upper ends of the hydraulic pistons to the bridge.

Another object of my invention is to provide improved means for tilting the bridge of light and cheap construction whereby lifting pressure may be applied to one end of the bridge and simultaneously downward pressure to the other end of the bridge with simple controlled and comparatively cheap hydraulic operating equipment.

Another object of my invention is to provide improved means for mounting the lower ends of the hydraulic lifts.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated and attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a segmented portion of a car dump apparatus involving my invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig.1. V

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic sectional view of the hydraulic control mechanism.

Referring to the accompanying drawings I have used the reference numeral 9 to indicate the standards for supporting the bridge 10 by means of the horizontal shaft 11. The bridge 10 includes a pair of side girders 12 and 13 tied together by cross sections 14 to form an integral unit which is free to swing on the shaft 11. Mounted between the upper edges of the girders 12 and 13 is a frame or platform 15 having one of its side edges pivoted to the adjacent plate 12 by means of brackets 16 and pivot pins 17, the other edge of the platform resting normally on brackets 18 carried by the plate 13. The upper face of the platform 15 is provided with rails 19 2,734,644 Patented Feb-14, 1956 hydraulic lift cylinders 22 and pistons 23, the cylinders 22 having their lower ends pivoted to brackets 24 fixed to the plate. 13, the upper ends of the pistons 23 being.

- connected to the platform 15 by pivots 25, thus providing means for tilting the platform about 15 from its normal horizontal position with the box car 21 thereon. The means for clamping the box car on said rails is not shown as it forms no part of'this invention.

.The bridge is adapted to be tiltedabout the shaft 11 about 40 relative to the horizontal by hydraulic cylinders 26 and pistons 27, the lower ends of said pistons having heads 28. For mounting the lower ends of the cylinders 26 I have provided a cradle 28 supporting upwardly projecting portions 29 each having a semispherical socket 30. for receiving a ball 31. A detachable annular flange 32 provides means for holding the ball in itssocket, the flanges being fixed to the portions 29 by bolts 33. Each of the balls 31 being fixed to a cylinder head 34 for supporting the lower end of its corresponding cylinder26.

Means is provided for connecting the upper end of. the piston 27 to the bridge girders 12' and 13,, comprising a substantially rectangular frame 36 including side members 37 and end members 38 and auxiliary end members 39 spaced inwardly from the member 38 a slight distance. Each pair of members- 38 and 39 being.

provided. with a pivot pin 41' 'piv'otallymouhted in the girders 12 and 13' with the frame 36 between said girders. The centers of the side members 37 are provided with a pivot pin.42 pivotally supporting a. block 43 fixed. to the upper end of the piston 27'.

A limited universal pivot connection between the upper ends of the pistons and the bridge to relieve the lift cylinders and pistons from any tendency to jack-knife due to any twisting of the bridge, due to the shifting of the center of gravity as the car supported on the rails is tilted laterally is thus provided.

The bridge is rocked by movement of the pistons 28 in the cylinders 26 and 26 which are actuated by a fluid, such as oil, under pressure. The cylinder 26 is provided with a port 44 at its lower end and a port 46 at its upper end to admit oil to and from the cylinders, to alternately apply pressure to opposite sides of the pistons so that downward pressure may be applied to one end of thebridge and simultaneously upward pressure to the other end of the bridge to reduce the tendency of its free ends to swing transversely as power is applied thereto.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated diagrammatically a single power source, consisting of a pump 47 having an inlet pipe 48 and an outlet pipe 49 leading from the pump 47 to a pressure accumulator 50, and a control valve casing 51 having a valve 52 for reversing the flow of the oil to and from the cylinders, the inlet pipe 53 of the valve being connected to the port 46 of the cylinder 26 by a pipe 54 and the port 44 of the cylinder 26 by a pipe 56. The outlet pipe 57 of said valve is connected to the port 46 of the cylinder 26 and the port 44 of the cylinder 26 by pipes 58 and 59 respectively, thus producing means whereby the bridge 10 may be rocked in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1, by rotating the valve 52 through an angle of It will be seen that the flow of oil through the pipes 53 and 57 will be reversed causing the bridge 10 to be rocked in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. l, in response to a reverse movement of the valve 52, so that the bridge will be returned to its normal horizontal position.

The pump 49 also supplies oil under pressure to the lift cylinder 22 by means of the pipes 61, 62, and the control valve 63 and the two-way pipe 64.

It will be readily seen that if the valve 63 is rotated counterclockwise to align the port 66 with the pipe 62,

oil will be delivered to the pipe 64 and the bottom of the piston 23 to tilt the car 21. When tilted the desired amount, the valve 63 is returned to its normal position locking the car in said tilted position. Rotating the valve 63 in a clockwise direction will again align the port 66 with the pipe 61 and allow the car 21 to be returned to its normal position.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided improved means for actuating the pivoted car supporting bridge and the car tilting platform, of a car dumping apparatus, by means of a single power pump whereby the ends of the car may be elevated and lowered alternately, whereby lifting force may be applied to one end of the bridge and downward pressure simultaneously to the other end, thereby greatly increasing the lateral stability of the free ends of the bridge as it is rocked, and also permitting somewhat lighter and cheaper construction of the lift cylinders and pistons.

I have also provided improved means for connecting duce a comparatively cheap and strong connection to vided with a port 44 at its lower end and a port at its produce limited universal movement between said pistons and bridge, to relieve the cylinders and pistons of unnecessary friction and wear, by reducing their tendency to jackknife, due to twisting of the free ends of the bridge caused by shifting of the center of gravity of the load to one side of the bridge.

I claim:

1. In a car dumping apparatus of the type employing an elongated car supporting bridge, including a pair of spaced vertical girders, pivoted at its center to swing in its longitudinal plane, means for rocking said bridge, comprising a pair of upright fluid lift cylinders and coacting pistons, means for connecting the upper ends of said pistons to said bridge at points intermediate its center and its free ends, said means comprising a substantially rectangular frame having a pin in each end pivotally mounted transversely between and in said spaced girders, a pivot pin mounted in the center of the side members of said frame and transversely to and in a plane common to said first pivot pins, a pivot block connecting the upper end of each piston to the corresponding last one of said pins, and fluid actuating means for operating said pistons.

2. In a car dumping apparatus of the type employing an elongated car supporting bridge including a pair of spaced vertical plates pivoted at its center to swing in its longitudinal plane, an upright telescopic lift for rocking said bridge, means for connecting the upper end of said lift to said bridge at a point intermediate its pivot and its free end, said pivot means comprising a substantially rectangular and open frame, including parallel and spaced side members and transverse end members, auxiliary end members spaced inwardly from the end members, a pivot pin mounted in the center of each pair of end members in a common longitudinal axis and rotatably mounted in and between the side plates of said bridge, a second pivot pin mounted in and between the center of the sides of said frame and in a plane substantially common to the first pins, a pivot block connecting the last pin to the upper end of said lift.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,399,484 Hull Dec. 6, 1921 1,542,951 Perkins June 23, 1925 2,578,849 Small Dec. 18, 1951 2,608,311 Findlay Aug. 26, 1952 2,637,454 Rowe May 5, 1953 

